Rice Crackers
by We'reAllInsomniacs
Summary: Who knew it'd be so hard to open... Or maybe it was just them?


This came about because I was having a hard time opening rice crackers (although they were the Chinese ones – Bin Bin) myself. And then I thought, why not RenjixRukia? 8D

HAHA.

And then I had to do research on popular Japanese rice crackers… I was thinking of doing it about pocky, and then I realized that my description of the package was different than a pocky one, so I had to ditch _that_ idea… And rice cracker packages are harder to open XD

* * *

_Urk… _

Rukia tugged on the wrapper, grabbing it this way and that while trying to get it open.

_Why won't this damn thing open…_

Frustrated, Rukia let out a low growl and threw the packet to the side. Orihime had come up to her that morning, bringing some kind of a snack along. Beaming, Orihime thrust it into her hands, exclaiming exuberantly,

"_Try this, Kuchiki-san! It's really good, and I thought that since you'll be here in the living world for a while, you should try this."_

With that, Orihime had skipped off to God-knows-where and left behind a baffled Rukia, the snack still in her arms.

Now, she had been _trying_ to open it but it just wouldn't obey. Picking up the package for about the hundredth time, she whipped it at the door as hard as she could—

"OW!"

—right into Renji's face.

"_What_ _was _that _for!"_

"You're the one who came in without knocking! What would have happened if I threw a _knife? _Or if I were _changing?"_

Unable to think of a comeback, Renji just flopped onto the floor, turning his face away to hide his embarrassment.

Sighing, Rukia folded her arms.

"Renji, open that package for me, please."

"What?"

"That snack package. Over there, beside you."

"Oh."

Grabbing it, Renji tugged at it for a while before Rukia's patience began to grow very thin.

"Renji! You're supposed to be stronger than I am! Why can _you_ not open it!"

Flustered, Renji threw the snack in Rukia's direction.

"Well, I'm sorry, miss I-can't-wait-for-my-friend-to-open-something-for-me! I wasn't born and bred here, you know! How would I understand these human contraptions; food or object?"

"Whatever!"

Rukia tried her hand at opening it again, to no avail. She tossed it back to Renji, who also tried to no avail. From here on, it just went back and forth – faster, faster – until both gave up, their brains fried and fingers numb. The snack, of course, remained closed.

Gasping for breath, Renji muttered a curse quietly. "What the hell do these people eat, anyway? And why would they go through all the trouble of eating it if it's so hard to open?"

Sprawling on the floor, Rukia was in no better condition. "I don't know! Maybe it's only us that are having a hard time?"

"I guess."

Rukia sighed.

Turning his head to stare at the package at Rukia's feet, Renji decided to give it another try. "Rukia, pass it to me again, will you?"

Looking at him as if he were crazy, she obliged.

Renji pulled in one direction – in the other – and finally, a tiny crack was open at the top of the wrapper.

"Renji, you did it!" Fascinated, Rukia scooted over to his side to watch this miracle unfold.

"Shh! I'm concentrating." Pursing his lips, Renji still pulled. Every time, the sliver would get bigger and bigger until Rukia could reach in and grab one of the individually wrapped crackers. Ripping it open, she took out the snack and inspected it closely.

"Looks like a rice cracker."

"Yeah."

They both stared at it, wondering what it might taste like, and Renji, wanting one too, reached in for one of his own. When he tried to pull his hand back out, it wouldn't budge.

"Rukia… My hand's stuck."

"Renji, you idiot. You could have asked me to get one for you."

"…"

"…"

"… I'd like my hand back…"

"Stop talking to the package. It's inanimate."

Disgruntled, Renji tugged on his hand to free it of its plastic cage when the whole bag popped open and the rice crackers inside flew everywhere. Momentarily surprised, both Renji and Rukia just sat there, unmoving, while the snacks showered down on their heads and all around them.

"Right…"

"Great going, Renji."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Shall we eat them now?"

"Why not?"

Rukia bit into hers while Renji opened one for himself. When both tasted it, there was a minute of silence, then loud crunching and frantic scrambles.

When Ururu walked past the door of the room, she stopped her sweeping and watched, interested at why two perfectly dignified shinigami would be scurrying and scrabbling around on the floor reaching for small, wrapped packages, ripping them open, and eating them whole. Their chewing was so incredibly fast that their mouths could hardly be seen at all. It was a strange sight, and Ururu decided not to have noticed as she continued on with her work.

---

"I feel sick…"

"Yeah…"

**

* * *

Author's note: **You know, truthfully I don't know the taste of Japanese rice crackers because I've never had them before, but it's okay since it fits with the story. Hee. XD


End file.
